Cancer remains one of the most deadly threats to human health. In the U.S., cancer affects nearly 1.3 million new patients each year, and is the second leading cause of death after heart disease, accounting for approximately 1 in 4 deaths. It is also predicted that cancer may surpass cardiovascular diseases as the number one cause of death within the next decade. Solid tumors are responsible for most of those deaths. Although there have been significant advances in the medical treatment of certain cancers, the overall 5-year survival rate for all cancers has improved only by about 10% in the past 20 years. Cancers, or malignant tumors, metastasize and grow rapidly in an uncontrolled manner, making timely detection and treatment extremely difficult.
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most frequent and aggressive type of tumor to develop from neuroepithelial tissue. GBMs are very heterogeneous with multiple clones that contain varied genetic imbalances within one tumour, making it very difficult to treat successfully. Even with improved surgical techniques and post-operative radiotherapy, the mean overall survival time of patients with GBM after neurosurgical debulking and radiotherapy is still limited to approximately 12 months. Currently, most chemotherapeutic agents have minimal effects on patient survival (J. M. A. Kuijlen et al., Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology, 2010 Vol. 36 (3), pp. 168-182).